King
Nebuchadnezzar had another dream. He dreamt of a great tree that grew so
high that it could be seen from anywhere on earth. It was a fruitful tree which
provided food and shelter for everyone. Then, he saw an angelic “watcher”
ordered the tree be cut down leaving only the stump and roots in the ground.
The stump and roots stayed in the field with the grass all around it and lived
among the wild animals and plants in the fields, unprotected from the dew. A
beast’s heart was given to it for seven years (vs 1-18).
Daniel
explained the dream. He said the tree was Nebuchadnezzar. God had made
Nebuchadnezzar great and his heart was lifted up with pride. Instead of
glorifying God, he glorified himself. I believed Daniel had reference to the
golden image that the king had made in chapter 3 and which he commanded all men
to bow down to it. Daniel had showed Nebuchadnezzar before in chapter 2 that he
was the head of gold and after him were kingdoms which were of silver, brass
and iron. Nebuchadnezzar didn’t want that to happen. So, he built an image
entirely of GOLD (Daniel 3:1). In doing this, he was sending a message to God
that his kingdom would last forever; there would be no kingdoms of silver,
brass and iron, just the great Babylonian kingdom. He was proud and arrogant.
He boasted and said: “Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the
house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my
majesty?” (vs 30).
Nebuchadnezzar,
in spite of knowing about the great power of Daniel’s God, did not give the
glory to God. God humbled him, took away his human heart and made him ate grass
like an ox. This could be referring to some disease that afflicted the king
which caused him to lose his sanity. The purpose is to let this proud king
knows that there is a God in heaven who “ruleth in the kingdom of men, and
giveth it to whomsoever he will” (vs 25). This came to pass, and at the end
of seven years, Nebuchadnezzar got back his sanity and acknowledged the Most
High God (vs 37).
Proverbs
16:18 says: “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a
fall.”
The
proud will be humbled. This principle can be clearly seen in the life of King
Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar has to learn the hard way that the only enduring
thing in this world is the reign of God and that his power was derived from God
and not his own. He built an image of gold, thinking to defy God’s plan of
three other kingdoms that would come. He thought he could change the times that
God had determined. God taught him a lesson he would never forget.
Pride,
who doesn’t have it? It was this sin which caused Adam and Eve to fall: “Ye
shall be as gods” (Genesis 3:5). When men and women refuse the word of
their Creator, or when they reject God as their God, it is fundamentally
because they want to be their own “gods” as did Adam and Eve. Who needs God
when you can be one yourself?
“It
is easy to spot a proud man. He likes to talk, especially about himself or his
opinions. He does not serve others voluntarily, for it is beneath him, and he
is too preoccupied with his own things. He moves in high circles, and he lives
above his means. He rejects advice or warnings. He gets angry easily,
criticizes others, and holds bitterness for past offences.” (Let God Be
True).
Human
pride is the hidden root of humanism, and of evolutionism, and of “every
high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God” (2
Corinthians 10:5). Pride is the reason men reject God. So, what are the
cures for pride?
1.
Humility. Think less of self and more of others (Philippians 2:4).
2.
Love. Love is not proud or boastful (1 Corinthians 13:4).
3.
Confess. Be ready to say sorry and admit your mistake (1 John 1:9).
4.
Serve. Serve rather be served (Matthew 23:11).
5.
Godliness. Remember God. Have the mind of Christ (Mark 10:45;
Philippians 2:5-9).
Remember,
the humble shall be exalted: “Humble yourselves
therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time”
(I Peter 5:6).
Jimmy Lau
Psa
119:97 Oh how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day.
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